Preparation of yogurt

Abstract

Yogurt is prepared with a mixture of milk powder and novel Lactobacillus thermophilus (also known as Bacillus coagulans) spores that have specific characteristics of requiring nourishment at the time of spore formation, being capable of high speed acid formation, taking a short time for transition into germ cells after budding and being highly thermobiotic so as to kill or inhibit during yogurt fermentation the growth of undesirable saprophytes including spore forming saprophytes present in yogurt which serve to putrify or spoil the yogurt. To prepare yogurt, boiling water is added to the mixture to kill or inhibit the growth of saprophytes and the mixture is permitted to ferment for a relatively short period of time.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A product of a dry material consisting essentially of a major amount of milk powder and a minor amount of the spores of a Bacillus coagulans having highly thermobiotic characteristics, the bacillus having characteristics such that: (a) the spores are able to exist in boiling water at 100° C. for more than two minutes;   (b) the spores have the capacity to generate germ cells in a period no longer than five hours;   (c) the germ cells have the capacity such that lactic acid fermentation occurs rapidly within four hours at about 50° C.;   (d) the germ cells have characteristics such that the coagulation of milk occurs in a period no longer than five hours after the germ cells are formed;   (e) the germ cells have the capacity to produce lactic acid in the final medium in a concentration more than 0.8%, and   (f) the germ cells have the capacity to produce a final pH in the culture medium of a fermentation process of below 4.0.   
     
     
       2. A product of a dry material according to claim 1, wherein the spores of the Bacillus coagulans are the spores of Bacillus EC-1, Species No. 2,930. 
     
     
       3. A product of a dry material according to claim 1, wherein the germ cells of the Bacillus coagulans have the capacity to effect lactic acid fermentation within about three hours. 
     
     
       4. A method of producing yogurt comprising adding boiling water to the material of claim 1 and permitting the resulting composition to ferment. 
     
     
       5. A method according to claim 4, wherein after the addition of the boiling water, the resulting composition is permitted to ferment at a temperature of 40°-55° C. for about seven hours.